NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Reach Agreement on JWST

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have reached an agreement on the agencies’ participation in the JWST mission. The CSA will develop and deliver the Webb Fine Guidance Sensors and provide functional support.

ESA and NASA Sign Agreement on JWST

The European Space Agency and NASA signed the official agreements defining the terms of cooperation on the James Webb Space Telescope mission. NASA, responsible for the overall management and operations of Webb, will build the spacecraft, the telescope and the platform that holds the instruments. ESA will provide the launch with an Ariane 5 rocket. NASA will provide the NIRCam instrument, while ESA provides NIRSpec. The third instrument, MIRI, is being built by a consortium of European institutions and NASA/JPL. (External Link: European Space Agency News)

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates JWST Telescope Control System at Keck Observatory

The Northrop Grumman Corporation team developing JWST has successfully tested software that will be used to bring the space observatory's 18 mirror segments into alignment following launch. The test helps verify that the mirrors will produce clear images following the rough vibrations and disturbances during launch... (External Link: Northrop-Grumman News Release)

Mirror Backplane Prototype Structure for James Webb Space Telescope Delivered for Testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

An important element of JWST, the Backplane Stability Test Article (BSTA), was delivered to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for a series of rigorous tests designed to verify its readiness for use in space. The BSTA is a full-scale sub-section of the mirror's backplane, a structure that holds and supports the observatory's sensitive, lightweight mirrors and mirror controls... (External Link: Northrop-Grumman News Release)

James Webb Space Telescope Sunshield Membrane Passes Critical Space-Readiness Tests

A Northrop Grumman Corp. team successfully completed a series of stringent tests that proved a key element of JWST can function successfully in its planned space environment. The tests were conducted on JWST's sunshield membrane, a five-layer structure approximately the size of a tennis court. The sunshield will block solar light and keep the observatory operating at cryogenic temperatures, enabling its infrared sensors to see distant galaxies, early stars, planetary systems and help astronomers better understand dark matter. (External Link: Northrop-Grumman News Release)

Northrop Grumman/NASA Team Wins NASA Award for Developing Cost-Effective Testing System for the James Webb Space Telescope

A joint Northrop Grumman Corporation/NASA team received an Exceptional Achievement Award from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for developing a cost-effective system to test JWST. The team created an entirely new system for testing JWST's primary mirror optics in what may be the most complex cryogenic vacuum test ever, replacing a traditional approach in record time and cutting costs... (External Link: Northrop-Grumman News Release)

System Definition Review (SDR)

JWST successfully passed the System Definition Review on Jan. 24-27. Two independent teams reviewed the overall quality and completeness of the system architecture, operational concepts, requirements, performance, and verification plan. Both teams were impressed with the overall quality of the work and indicated that the program was ready to move towards ... (More)

Mirror Segment for James Webb Space Telescope Delivered for Polishing

Manufacturing of JWST progressed further with the delivery of the telescope's first mirror segment for grinding and polishing. Tinsley Laboratories in Richmond, Calif., will perform high-precision grinding, polishing and testing at ambient temperatures on the mirror segment. The mirrors will be polished to tolerances as tight as 20 nanometers, or less than one millionth of an inch... (External Link: Northrop-Grumman News Release)

JWST passes review by Scientific Assessment Team

The Scientific Assessment Team (SAT) was chartered by NASA to look at the science priorities of JWST and its role in astronomy in the next decade. The SAT found that the scientific case for JWST is as strong or stronger than when initially conceived. The SAT recommended some streamlining in the telescope capabilities so as to focus on its unique infrared capabilities de-emphasazing optical and near-infrared wavelengths. The Science Working Group has endorsed the SAT recommendations and they have been adopted by the JWST project.

Fabrication of James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Moves Forward; Northrop Grumman Teammate Axsys Technologies Opens New Facility

JWST moved a major step forward with the opening of a state-of-the-art facility in Cullman, Ala., that will machine the observatory's optical components... (External Link: Northrop-Grumman News Release)

NASA Approves James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Architecture

NASA today announced a major milestone in the development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the selection of a beryllium-based mirror technology for the telescope's 6.5-meter ... Learn more: (External Link: HubbleSite NewsCenter)

NASA Announces Contract for Next-Generation Space Telescope Named After Space Pioneer

NASA has selected TRW to build the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. This space-based observatory will be known as the James Webb Space ... Learn more: (External Link: HubbleSite NewsCenter)

NASA Selects Home for Next Generation Space Telescope

The duties of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., will be expanded to include the management of science operations for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), NASA ... Learn more: (External Link: HubbleSite NewsCenter)

James Webb Space Telescope —
Instruments, January 2005

James Webb Space Telescope —
Mission Update, January 2004

James Webb Space Telescope —
Mission Update, June 2003

James Webb Space Telescope —
Mission Update, January 2003